NO. 1425. THOMAS MARTYN— BALL. 417 



thought it probable that in the productions of boys, all of whom had 

 received their tirst rudiments of good taste from the same common 

 preceptor, and who should execute whatever they did under his im- 

 mediate inspection and control, there would generallj^ be found that 

 uniformit}^ and equality of style, conception, and execution which it 

 would be in vain to require from a variety of independent artists." 

 Impressed with this idea, he now directed his attention to the discovery 

 and instruction of "a number of young persons who, born of good but 

 humble parents, could not from their own means aspire to the cultiva- 

 tion of any liberal art, at the same time that thej^ gave indications of 

 natural talent for drawing and design." 



One of this character soon presented himself and made rapid and 

 satisfactory progress, and by the end of a year was sufficiently pro- 

 ficient to serve as a tutor himself, when two more were engaged, and 

 in two years such advances were made that the exhibition of specimen 

 plates excited an admiration the sincerity of which was evinced by 

 orders for copies of the proposed work. At the end of three years 

 from the beginning of the undertaking, seventy copies of the first two 

 volumes (comprising 80 plates) had been completed. 



On comparison of the later work with the earlier, however, the 

 latter appeared so inferior that Martyn decided to totally reject the 

 whole of what had been done, and began again, " in that improved style 

 of execution which was ultimately to determine the fate and reputation 

 of the work." Here spoke the artist, and the "dealer," if he existed, 

 totally disappeared with the rejected copies. Finally, the etchings 

 on copper, from which were printed the plates serving as a base for 

 the color work, were taken from outside en^Tavers and made in what 

 he fondly terms his academy, so that the whole work could be prepared 

 in his own establishment. 



All this cost monc}^, of course, and Mart}^! admits having "sunk in 

 it no inconsiderable share of a private competence," but in return he 

 had "the singular gratification of seeing his most sanguine expecta- 

 tions realized b}^ the event," and his publication rendered "as worthy 

 of himself, of his country, and of the learned world as art and his 

 utmost abilities of every kind could etfect." 



Apart from its product the little academy seems to have been a 

 source of pride to Martyn as furnishing society with an accession of 

 useful members in the persons of his pupils, whose number finall}^ 

 grew to nine, instructed and supervised b}^ Martyn himself, and he 

 winds up his account of it with the declaration that in this little semi 

 nary duty toward God and man is earnestly enforced, since the con- 

 ductor of it "would feel it a nobler boast to have educated one good 

 citizen than any number of artists, however ingenious." 



While the essay on a dirigible balloon appears to have been earlier 

 published, the Universal Conchologist seems to have been Martyn's 

 Proc. N. M. vol. xxix— 05 27 



